Alert for shoppers after cyber attackers hit supermarket giant Musgrave

Musgrave, which operates SuperValu, Centra and Daybreak stores, said malicious software had been used to try to steal the information of customers.

The malware also tried to take the expiry date of the cards but did not try to access cardholders' names, PINs or CCV numbers, the company said.

The cyber attack has been reported to gardai and the Data Protection Commissioner.

"While there is no evidence that any data has been stolen at this point, Musgrave is advising any concerned shoppers to review activity on their statements as a precautionary measure," the company said in a statement.

Musgrave also said it has "cyber breach response experts" and they have installed advanced technical fixes to combat the attempted breach.

The company said it would continue to actively manage and monitor the situation.

"The protection of information is an absolute priority for Musgrave, with a range of security solutions including threat-monitoring, anti-virus software, firewall and penetration testing deployed," Musgrave said.

"The company aims to ensure that security standards are maintained at the highest levels and apologises to its customers for this issue."

SuperValu has more than a fifth of the supermarket share in Ireland.